


Safe and Sound

by djordi



Category: All For The Game, Nora Sakavic - Fandom, The King's Men - Fandom, the foxhole court, the raven king - Fandom
Genre: All For The Game - Freeform, Andrew Minyard - Freeform, Band, Love, M/M, Moriyamas - Freeform, Music, Neil Josten - Freeform, Nora sakavic, Romance, andriel - Freeform, the foxhole court - Freeform, the monsters - Freeform
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2017-12-29
Updated: 2017-12-29
Packaged: 2019-02-23 12:30:38
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 3,097
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/13190133
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/djordi/pseuds/djordi
Summary: Neil Josten finally found his place in life-but it's temporary.Roped into a one year contract to play for the world-famous band, The Monsters, Neil falls in love with playing music and simply leading a normal life, for a while.But when the band's leading guitarist, Andrew Minyard returns from long-term care, things are shaken up. First, dealing with Andrew's return and current condition and Neil's own problems at dealing with the demons of his past.However, despite their tormented pasts, each other may end up being exactly what they need to be happy.





	Safe and Sound

Neil Josten lazed upon the red sofa, along the wall of the recording studio. His guitar was lain across his stomach and he plucked it softly, working on a new hook he had come up with a few days ago. 

He had been in the middle of writing the first verse when Nicky Hemmick, one of Neil's bandmates and bass player for The Monsters, burst into the studio and appeared as though he had just run several blocks. 

"Neil!" the older, tan boy exclaimed "Andrew's coming home!"

Neil sat up with a frown. "He's not supposed to be coming back for another two weeks."

Nicky nodded, "Doctors think he's stable enough to be released now. He'll be here in a few hours!"

Neil put on a fake smile for the bassist. Andrew was Nicky's cousin, his family; he had every right to be happy about his return. Neil however, dreaded it.

He had never actually met the lead guitarist of The Monsters, but it wasn't his violent history that churned his stomach rather than his return, because Andrew's return meant Neil's departure.

Last August, Neil had somehow found himself in a situation that involved a contract, a desperate manager named David Wymack, and a decision with really no choice at all.

"I can't play for you," Neil had stated, panicked. "Kevin Day is in that band."

"And?" Wymack had questioned. "Is that problem?"

Of course, Neil couldn't tell the band's manager that he and Kevin had _really_ met before when they were children, under the influence of the deadly Moriyama's and their contracts that were more of a death sentence. 

Furthermore, Neil _really_ couldn't tell him that the real reason he couldn't play with them was because he was an outlaw in the Moriyama's eyes and had cheated their contract and skipped town with his now-deceased mother just to avoid his murderous father. 

What a job description. 

It may have been Neil's stupidest decision to broadcast his face all over the nation when he was a wanted man, but his passion for music had gone to his head in a fatal moment and now had no choice but to regretfully follow the signed contract. He couldn't leave, the papers were already signed and Neil was now the temporary lead guitarist for the band until Andrew's return.

Which was apparently today.

Somewhere in his state of reminiscence, Nicky had left the room, most likely to make a phone call, and Neil was left alone once more.

Though he tried to keep his face composed, Neil was secretly panicking. What would he do? Where would he go? For the last few months, Neil really felt like he had started _living_. Belonging. Now that was about to be taken from him and despite knowing it would happen, it was still the feeling of ice-cold water being dumped on your head; unexpected. 

Nicky returned a moment later, phone in hand. "Wymack is on his way. He just received the call from the centre."

Neil nodded, his mouth too dry to say anything.

Chucking his phone on the table, Nicky flopped down beside Neil on the couch and sighed. "One year," He said "One year since he left and now he's finally coming home again."

Neil knew Nicky was talking to himself but he still replied. "How does Aaron feel?"

Andrew's twin, Aaron Minyard, was The Monster's drummer and from what Neil had heard, there was some bad blood between the twins. They may be family and stick together in times of need, but they still had a damaged relationship. Neil couldn't fathom what Aaron could possibly be thinking. 

They didn't wait long before their band manager, Wymack, entered the room with his phone pressed to his ear. "Okay, okay, I get it." He said into it before hanging up and rubbing his hands over his face in exhaustion. 

"It's been twelve months," Wymack stated "Twelve months since he left. He's not even here yet and he's already aged me ten years in a matter of hours."

Nicky simply let out a laugh and Neil remained quiet. 

The door opened a moment later and Kevin and Aaron entered. Neil looked away from Kevin, both disgusted and intrigued to be in the same room as him.

Kevin Day. America's darling and world superstar that had everything taken from him, unfairly. 

Kevin was raised at Castle Evermore, the record empire of the United States and his home until he was a teenager and his 'accident' involving Riko Moriyama breaking his playing hand occurred. 

From the time they were children, Riko and Kevin had grown up side by side and learnt to play together. They had formed their own music group with childhood friend Jean Moreau. They were called The Ravens and were the Moriyama's best and biggest investment. The group had made the label millions and the entire world adored Riko and Kevin. 

But the Moriyama's were dirty. Sneaky. They did under-the-table deals in the most threatening way and killed off anyone that ceased to be a threat to their empire. Neil's father and owner of his previous record label, The Butcher, had sold him to the Moriyama's in a life-sentence deal. Neil met Kevin and Riko when he was ten and played with them in one set until his mother, Marie, realised it was a deadly setup and took Neil and ran.

It was before the show that Riko, Kevin and Neil had witnessed Neil's father hacking a man to pieces because he tried to scheme his way out of the label. Realising what was about to happen, Marie had took Neil and left. 

From then on, Neil and his mother had been on the run. Backing out of a Moriyama deal was something you were killed for and they weren't the only ones who wanted the pair dead. Neil's father had been humiliated in the eyes of the Moriyama's-also a deadly risk-and was out for blood. 

He had finally caught up to them at one point where he had beaten Marie so badly that she died from her injuries. Neil had nothing and no one left until he met David Wymack and was offered a twelve month contract at The Foxhole Court. 

It was an unspeakable deal and would cost him his life. Neil knew that. If Kevin caught on to who he was for a second, they were all dead. The Moriyama's would find them and Neil wouldn't escape a second time.

Thankfully, Kevin didn't recognise him. It had been many years since Neil had left Kevin at Castle Evermore and had changed his appearance drastically to outrun the Empire. It wouldn't work forever, but it was enough while he kept going. 

Kevin on the other hand, didn't survive Castle Evermore either. When Neil left, things took a turn for the worse and when they were teenagers, Riko had broken Kevin's playing hand out of sheer jealousy. Kevin had run from Evermore to David Wymack and not long after, joined The Foxhole Court. 

Evermore had to cover up the incident as a skiing accident but were forced to let Kevin out of his contract due to the severity of his injuries. 

The Ravens and their fans had been outraged when they found out that Kevin had joined the Foxes instead of going back to his childhood group. Behind closed doors, Neil knew the horrors Kevin had dealt with in that place but it didn't change the fact that they were both wanted by the Moriyama's. 

Though he was free from the Raven's grasp, Kevin's playing hand was ruined. He had been one of the best guitarists of the generation and was clearly on a fast track to surpassing Riko with his talents. Kevin had always been lead guitarist and backup vocals for The Ravens, but now he was lead vocalist for The Monsters and their frontman. 

Despite being incredibly talented on vocals with his husky voice, Kevin had always been the guitarist in the band and it was clear he sorely missed being so. However, when Andrew stepped in, Kevin was evidently comforted knowing he could trust Andrew whilst he learnt to play again with his right hand in the meantime. 

Neil sat up when the pair entered, Aaron frowning and Kevin, as usual, looking unimpressed by everything; naturally their respective expressions.

"How long?" Aaron asked Wymack, who understood immediately. "Few hours, four at the most."

Aaron nodded and sat down without another word. Kevin looked to each of them from where he stood in the doorway with his arms crossed over his chest.

He focused on Neil. "What are you going to do?"

Neil ignored him, or maybe he was ignoring the entire situation. Either way, it bothered Kevin.

"You don't have to leave," Wymack interjected. "The apartment is still open, just not the band."

For the last year, Neil had been living with the other band members in their apartment loft. With Andrew being out of the equation, there had been a spare room and Neil had resided in it for the time he was in the band. 

Of course, there was a spare bed in there which Neil slept in, avoiding Andrew's side like the plague. 

Neil knew he shouldn't. Couldn't. But for the time being, there was no where else he could go. Until he figured out his next move, he would stay in the room. Only for a week or so, then he would be gone again.

The door opened again and The Monster's producer, Matt Boyd, entered the room. He stopped in his tracks, surprised to see them sitting in the studio.

"Oh, hey guys," Matt said. "I didn't think we had a session today?"

"We don't." Wymack explained, "Andrew's coming home."

"Andrew's comi-shit," Matt rubbed the back of his neck. "When did you guys find out?"

"This morning." Nicky replied.

Matt looked to Neil, whom he'd grown quite fond of over the months. "So that means..."

"I'm done." Neil answered without emotion. "Andrew's back. That was our agreement."

Matt looked to their manager pleadingly. "Wymack, surely Neil-"

"We both signed the contract," Wymack spoke, understanding Matt, "But if Neil wants to stay in town, I won't object. We never said they couldn't remain friends, just that Neil couldn't play with them officially."

"Neil?" Matt turned to him.

Neil shrugged.

Matt let out a whistle. "Have you told the girls?"

The 'girls' Matt was referring to was their highly qualified team, with Dan Wilds being their Business Manager, Renee Walker being their promoter and Allison Reynolds their publicist. Not to mention, Dan was also Matt's girlfriend. 

Wymack nodded. "I texted them an hour ago. Dan was in a meeting but the others said they'd be over tonight."

Matt nodded and shrugged nonchalantly, "So what do we do now?"

"Now," Wymack stated. "We wait."

****

Andrew's plane touched down at eleven o'clock that night. Aaron and Nicky had went with Wymack to pick Andrew up from the airport so at least Neil could skip watching that little reunion.

Kevin hadn't said a word since they got back to the apartment. He had simply walked in, collected his laptop from the table and went to his room, not doubt to listen to recent demos.

Neil didn't know what to do. He had tried to watch TV but had no interest in it so he turned it off. He couldn't eat and he was too worked up to play guitar. So, he sat on the couch and stared at the wall. Waiting. 

It may have only been minutes but to Neil, it felt like hours. He didn't know exactly what to expect when Andrew walked through the door so he couldn't prepare himself. 

As it turns out, Neil would've never been able to prepare himself for he would've never been able to predict a character like Andrew Minyard.

A little past one in the morning, the apartment door swung open and Neil had to refrain himself from jumping up to grab his gun. Old habits die hard, but not always.

They filed in, first Nicky, then Aaron, then Andrew followed by Wymack. Neil stood up and stood in a manner that screamed self preservation. He eyed Andrew but not obviously. 

If it hadn't been for the black armbands going up Andrew's wrists, no one would ever be able to tell the pair apart. The twins looked alike in every way from their hair colour, to their expressions to their height. 

Neil was taller than Aaron and he knew that Andrew was identical, but it didn't stop him from expecting something other than the five-feet even expressionless blonde in the doorway. 

Unlike his twin who was always frowning, Andrew stood with a calm but lethal mannerism. He wore a bored expression on his face despite no longer having to take his meds. He turned his gaze to Neil.

"So this is who has been posing as me for the past twelve months," Andrew stated and turned to Wymack. "Not very impressive on your part, Coach. I expected more."

Neil took notice of Andrew's nickname for their manager and recalled how the others had called him that too from time to time. Since Wymack wasn't their father but acted as a parental figure to all of them, they had adopted the name 'coach' to refer to him as a moral leader in their lives. Also, 'dad' would've been far out of bounds in authority and strangeness. 

"You haven't met him, Andrew," Wymack pointed out, "Neil can play. He's been a good stand-in while you were away."

"And now he has to bow out. Typical." Andrew said, still expressionless. 

Deciding Neil was worth no more of his time or attention, Andrew turned to Kevin. "Come here." He said.

Obediently, Kevin got off his desk and walked over to Andrew. He stood still as Andrew took hold of his jaw and moved his head to either side as if he was checking for scratch marks.

"Andrew," Kevin muttered softly, "I'm fine. Nothing happened."

"Forgive me if your weak cries in the past lead me to not believe you." Andrew stated none-to-kindly. 

Kevin remained silent as Andrew finished checking him over. Despite being physically okay, Neil knew Andrew could do nothing about the mental abuse Kevin had suffered for more than half his life. 

It surprised Neil that someone with Andrew's ability to not care about anything definitely would not show this much concern for another person. Sociopath or not, Andrew clearly had some reason to be here and it wasn't just Aaron.

When Andrew finishes, he pushes Kevin away lightly and throws his arms up dramatically and fake yawns.

"Well this has been fun and all but I'm tired, so get out."

With a roll of his eyes, Wymack looks down at Andrew. "Can I trust you enough to not break Neil if I leave him here alone with you?"

"No promises Coach." Andrew says, grinning and Wymack sighs, sending Neil a subtle 'I'm sorry about this' look before wishing the others goodnight and leaving the apartment. 

When he's gone, Nicky immediately starts rapidly asking Andrew questions but Andrew looks away with a bored expression and simply turns to Neil. "Did you sleep in my room?"

"Yes." Neil answers without hesitation. Andrew accepts this without argument and starts heading towards his room at the back of the apartment. 

He didn't have to say it; Neil knew he was supposed to follow and he did, Nicky shooting him a nervous look. Neil responded with his own reassuring smile.

Neil closed the bedroom door behind him and then he and Andrew were alone. Andrew didn't speak for several minutes, he simply stared at the other boy curiously. 

"So what is it?" Andrew questioned, "Drugs? Money? Did you kill someone?"

"What?" Neil asked.

"Don't play dumb." Andrew scolded and gestured around him, "We're all here for a reason, we're messed up. What's your reason?"

"I came to play for them while you were away."

"That's your second warning." Andrew stated, "Don't get to a third."

"Why do you think I have another reason?"

Andrew flicked him an annoyed look. "Coach wouldn't have chosen you for no reason. No matter how good you are at playing music, it's not your reason for being here."

When Neil doesn't answer, Andrew reclines back on the bed. "You see," He says "Coach is good-hearted. He believes we deserve second chances in life and he likes to deliver that belief to us whenever he thinks we need to be reminded. There's a reason he joined The Foxhole Court and not another label. Know why?"

Neil shook his head. 

"Because we are diverse. We all have our problems and he's intent on bringing us together to show us that life is all _rainbows_ and _butterflies._ " Andrew states sarcastically. "He believes we can have a second chance at life. He'll die with that idea in his head, but it's the one he believes in."

Neil's heart thundered in his chest and the thought of someone knowing the truth. Especially this stranger that he just met for the first time. Keeping a composed look on his face, he crosses his arms across his chest. "So you think I'm here because I need a second chance in life? Why?"

"I don't know." Andrew replies in monotone. "But I will figure it."

A knock at the door interrupts their conversation and a moment later the door opens and Nicky sticks his head in.

"Just wanted to make sure he hadn't killed you yet." Nicky grins at Neil, "And I wanted to remind you we have a songwriting session tomorrow so get some rest. We have to be at the studio by nine."

When he leaves, Andrew gestures to Neil's bed on the other side of the room, "Better get some rest little rabbit. I have a feeling you're always running when you're awake. How exhausting that must be."

Eyeing Andrew carefully for another minute, Neil goes to change in the bathroom. When he climbs into bed, he sleeps with his back to the wall so he can see Andrew at all times. 

He didn't trust Andrew and sharing a room with him would complicate things. If he wasn't careful, Neil would end up losing everything if Andrew found out who he really was. 

One week. Neil would stay one more week and then he would be gone. He didn't know where to yet but it didn't matter. He would figure it out because if there was one thing Neil knew how to do, it was run. 


End file.
